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Background There is currently no standardised approach to estimate respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) epidemics’ timing (or seasonality), a critical information for their effective prevention and control. Aim We aimed to provide an overview of methods to define RSV seasonality and identify factors supporting method choice or interpretation/comparison of seasonal estimates. Methods We systematically searched PubMed and Embase (2016–2021) for studies using quantitative approaches to determine the start and end of RSV epidemics. Studies’ features (data-collection purpose, location, regional/(sub)national scope), methods, and assessment characteristics (case definitions, sampled population’s age, in/outpatient status, setting, diagnostics) were extracted. Methods were categorised by their need of a denominator (i.e. numbers of specimens tested) and their retrospective vs real-time application. Factors worth …